David de Keyser
Encyclopedia
David de Keyser is a British actor. He is the father of Alexei de Keyser
, Pia de Keyser and Thomas de Keyser.
In the mid-sixties de Keyser worked twice with the writer, actor and director Jane Arden
. Their first collaboration, The Logic Game, was the first BBC drama to be shot on film; it was directed by Philip Saville
and broadcast in January 1965. They acted together again in another Jane Arden
script in the film Separation (Jack Bond
1968) which was set in London
and featured music by Procol Harum
, Matthew Fisher
and Stanley Myers
. The themes of both pieces were marital strife and disintegrating relationships.
De Keyser has also worked on four occasions for the British director John Boorman
, twice on screen in Catch Us If You Can
(1965) and Leo the Last
(1970), and on two further occasions Boorman has used de Keyser's rich, distinctive voice, firstly as the Voice of the Tabernacle in Zardoz
(1974), and in 1981 as the Voice of the Grail in Excalibur
.
He starred in the BBC Radio 4
comedy The Attractive Young Rabbi
with Tracy-Ann Oberman
. He also made an appearance in the UK TV series The Professionals (TV series)
, in the episode entitled 'Servant of Two Masters'. He has also been a prolific voiceover on television advertisement
s in the UK.
Alexei de Keyser
Alexei Paul de Keyser was a British television producer, the son of the prolific British actor David de Keyser....
, Pia de Keyser and Thomas de Keyser.
In the mid-sixties de Keyser worked twice with the writer, actor and director Jane Arden
Jane Arden
Jane Arden was an internationally syndicated daily newspaper comic strip which ran from 1927 to 1968. The title character was the original "spunky girl reporter," actively seeking to infiltrate and expose criminal activity rather than just report on its consequences and served as a prototype for...
. Their first collaboration, The Logic Game, was the first BBC drama to be shot on film; it was directed by Philip Saville
Philip Saville
Philip Saville is a British television direction and screenwriting from the late 1950s...
and broadcast in January 1965. They acted together again in another Jane Arden
Jane Arden
Jane Arden was an internationally syndicated daily newspaper comic strip which ran from 1927 to 1968. The title character was the original "spunky girl reporter," actively seeking to infiltrate and expose criminal activity rather than just report on its consequences and served as a prototype for...
script in the film Separation (Jack Bond
Jack Bond
John David "Jack" Bond, born in Kearsley, near Bolton, Lancashire, on 6 May 1932, is a former cricketer who played for Lancashire and, for one season, for Nottinghamshire....
1968) which was set in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and featured music by Procol Harum
Procol Harum
Procol Harum are a British rock band, formed in 1967, which contributed to the development of progressive rock, and by extension, symphonic rock. Their best-known recording is their 1967 single "A Whiter Shade of Pale"...
, Matthew Fisher
Matthew Fisher
Matthew Fisher is an English organist and singer-songwriter, and was responsible for the organ sound on the 1967 single, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum.-Biography:...
and Stanley Myers
Stanley Myers
Stanley Myers , was a prolific British film composer who scored over sixty films. Born in Birmingham, as a teenager Myers went to King Edward's School in Edgbaston, a suburb of Birmingham...
. The themes of both pieces were marital strife and disintegrating relationships.
De Keyser has also worked on four occasions for the British director John Boorman
John Boorman
John Boorman is a British filmmaker who is a long time resident of Ireland and is best known for his feature films such as Point Blank, Deliverance, Zardoz, Excalibur, The Emerald Forest, Hope and Glory, The General and The Tailor of Panama.-Early life:Boorman was born in Shepperton, Surrey,...
, twice on screen in Catch Us If You Can
Catch Us If You Can (film)
Catch Us If You Can was the feature-film debut of director John Boorman...
(1965) and Leo the Last
Leo the Last
Leo the Last is a 1970 film directed by John Boorman, based on the play The Prince by George Tabori, starring Marcello Mastroianni and Billie Whitelaw.-Plot:...
(1970), and on two further occasions Boorman has used de Keyser's rich, distinctive voice, firstly as the Voice of the Tabernacle in Zardoz
Zardoz
Zardoz is a 1974 science fiction/fantasy film written, produced, and directed by John Boorman. It stars Sean Connery, Charlotte Rampling, and Sara Kestelman. Zardoz was Connery's second post-James Bond role...
(1974), and in 1981 as the Voice of the Grail in Excalibur
Excalibur (film)
Excalibur is a 1981 dramatic fantasy film directed, produced and co-written by John Boorman that retells the legend of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. Adapted from the 15th century Arthurian romance, Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory, Excalibur features the music of Richard Wagner...
.
He starred in the BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
comedy The Attractive Young Rabbi
The Attractive Young Rabbi
The Attractive Young Rabbi was a BBC Radio 4 comedy series of three series from 1999 to 2002, written by Barry Grossman. Starring Tracy-Ann Oberman, David de Keyser and Doreen Mantle, the series was about two rabbis...
with Tracy-Ann Oberman
Tracy-Ann Oberman
Tracy-Ann Oberman is an English television, theatre and radio actress, known for her role as Chrissie Watts in the BBC soap opera Eastenders...
. He also made an appearance in the UK TV series The Professionals (TV series)
The Professionals (TV series)
The Professionals was a British crime-action television drama series produced by Avengers Mk1 Productions and London Weekend Television that aired on the ITV network from 1977 to 1983. In all, 57 episodes were produced, filmed between 1977 and 1981. It starred Martin Shaw, Lewis Collins and Gordon...
, in the episode entitled 'Servant of Two Masters'. He has also been a prolific voiceover on television advertisement
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
s in the UK.
Partial filmography
- 2010 - Gin & Dry [Short Film]
- 2010 - Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
[Voice only] - 2008 - God on TrialGod on TrialGod on Trial is a 2008 BBC/WGBH Boston television play written by Frank Cottrell Boyce, starring Antony Sher, Rupert Graves and Jack Shepherd. The play takes place in Auschwitz during World War II. The Jewish prisoners put God on trial in absentia for abandoning the Jewish people...
- 2003 - The Statement
- 1999 - SunshineSunshine (1999 film)Sunshine is a 1999 historical film written by Israel Horovitz and István Szabó, directed and produced by István Szabó. It follows three generations of a Jewish family during the changes in Hungary from the beginning of the 20th century to the...
- 1998 - Simon Magus
- 1997 - The Designated MournerThe Designated MournerThe Designated Mourner is a play written by Wallace Shawn in 1996, which was adapted into a film directed by David Hare in 1997.The film, which follows the play's script exactly, is based on the original London stage production directed by Hare and has the same cast: Mike Nichols as Jack, Miranda...
- 1992 - Leon the Pig FarmerLeon the Pig FarmerLeon the Pig Farmer is a 1993 comedy about a Jewish estate agent in London who discovers that thanks to an artificial insemination mishap, his real father owns a pig farm in Yorkshire...
- 1990 - Confessional
- 1989 - Red King, White Knight
- 1989 - A Dry White SeasonA Dry White SeasonA Dry White Season is a film released in 1989 by Davros Films and Sundance Productions and distributed by MGM. It was directed by Euzhan Palcy and produced by Paula Weinstein, Mary Selway and Tim Hampton. The screenplay was by Colin Welland and Euzhan Palcy, based upon André Brink's novel of the...
- 1988 - Out of the ShadowsOut of the ShadowsOut Of The Shadows is a 1962 rock album by British group The Shadows. It was their second album.-Track listing:-Chart positions:-Personnel:* Hank Marvin – Lead Guitar, piano and vocals* Bruce Welch – Rhythm guitar and vocals...
- 1985 - King David
- 1981 - ExcaliburExcalibur (film)Excalibur is a 1981 dramatic fantasy film directed, produced and co-written by John Boorman that retells the legend of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. Adapted from the 15th century Arthurian romance, Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory, Excalibur features the music of Richard Wagner...
(voice only) - 1979 - Balham, Gateway to the SouthBalham, Gateway to the SouthBalham, Gateway to the South is comedy sketch parodying a short travel documentary about the south London suburb of Balham. It was written by Frank Muir and Denis Norden for a 1950s BBC radio series called Third Division. The sketch featured the voice of Peter Sellers narrating, in a parody of the...
(voice only) - 1977 - Valentino
- 1974 - ZardozZardozZardoz is a 1974 science fiction/fantasy film written, produced, and directed by John Boorman. It stars Sean Connery, Charlotte Rampling, and Sara Kestelman. Zardoz was Connery's second post-James Bond role...
(voice only) - 1971 - Diamonds Are ForeverDiamonds Are Forever (film)Diamonds Are Forever is the seventh spy film in the Eon Productions James Bond series, and the sixth and final Eon Productions film to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film is based on Ian Fleming's 1956 novel of the same name, and is the second of four James Bond films...
- 1971 - The Chairman's WifeThe Chairman's WifeThe Chairman's Wife is a 1971 British short drama film directed by Gerry O'Hara and starring David de Keyser, Fiona Lewis and John Osborne. The wife of a company's chairman stages her own kidnapping in order to gain money...
- 1970 - Leo the LastLeo the LastLeo the Last is a 1970 film directed by John Boorman, based on the play The Prince by George Tabori, starring Marcello Mastroianni and Billie Whitelaw.-Plot:...
- 1969 - On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the sixth spy film in the James Bond series, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. Following the decision of Sean Connery to retire from the role after You Only Live Twice, Eon Productions selected an unknown actor and model, George Lazenby...
(voice only) - 1968 - SeparationSeparation (1967 film)Separation, a film produced in 1967 and released in 1968, was written by and starred Jane Arden and directed by Jack Bond. The film explores the life of a middle-aged woman following the breakdown of her marriage...
- 1965 - Catch Us If You CanCatch Us If You Can (film)Catch Us If You Can was the feature-film debut of director John Boorman...
- 1965 - The Logic Game (TV)